Corner guard assembly



Sept. 1961 E. J. CZAPLICKE 3,001,330

CORNER GUARD ASSEMBLY Filed April 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I 2 Z lFIG.2

-- I INVENTOR.

a X 7 EDWIN J.CZAPLICKE p 26, 1961 E. J. CZAPLICKE 3,001,330

CORNER GUARD ASSEMBLY Filed April 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II I! II I 1II I] I /0 a h INVENIO EDWIN J. CZAPL E FIG.5

3,001,330 CORNER GUARD ASSEMBLY Edwin J. Czaplicke, Cuyahoga Falls,Ohio, assignor to gglkiuson Chutes, Inc., Akron, Ohio, a corporation ofFiled Apr. 23, 1958, Ser. No. 730,396 2 Claims, (ill. 50-166) Thisinvention relates to corner guard assemblies, especially to a metalcorner guard and to positioning or anchor means therefor adapted to belocated in a wall as the wall is constructed so that a permanent, fixedpositioning of the corner guard in a desired, accurate location isprovided.

Heretofore, corner guards as used in many buildings such as hospitals,schools and the like frequently have been made from stainless steel, orother attractive metals. These corner guards have usually had anchorbolts or studs welded thereto and extending inwardly thereof. Suchanchor studs in turn: engage conventional anchor nuts positioned in orsecured to the wall at the corner thereof, or the wall itself, so thatthe corner guard is fixedly secured in position. However, when weldingthese positioning studs to the corner guards, some discoloration ordlsfiguration is produced on the outer surfaceof the corner guard and itdoes not have an attractive, uniform appearance throughout. Some othertypes of anchor means for the corner guards have been proposedheretofore but none of such guards, insofar as I am aware, have providedan accurate, fixed positioning of the corner guard with its associatedanchoring means with no damage to the metal corner guard.

It also is desirable to provide corner guards of differ ent shapesinasmuch as various wall finishes have difierent thicknesses and thecorner guard should be adapted to engage whatever particular finishingmeans are provided on a given wall surface.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a novel andimproved type of a corner guard and'assembly means therefor wherein thecorner guard is characterized by the fixed, or definite locating actionof the anchor means for the corner guard when engaged with a cornerguard of the invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contoured anchor meansor equivalent assembled to and protruding from a wall at the cornerthereof and being engaged with a corner guard as the wall is beingbuilt.

A further object of the invention is to provide anchor means for cornerguards wherein such anchor means have vertically extending tabs or wingsthereon that engage the corner guard, and where other contoured meansare provided in the anchor bars that engage the corner guard forpositioning it in an exact vertical position with relation to a wallsurface.

Another object of the invention is to provide anchor means for a cornerguard that can be engaged with the corner guard intermediate the endsthereof by being inserted into the comer guard and being twisted downinto full engagement with the corner guard.

Another object of the invention is to provide several models of a cornerguard with different types of end flanges thereon for engagingpositioning anchor means placed in a wall so that the corner guard isflush with the finished wall surfaces.

Further objects of the invention are to provide anchor bars on meansthat have integral wings or tabs thereon extending normal to the anchorbars for improved corner guard engagement, to provide anchor bar meansthat float with relation to a corner guard to facilitate engaging anylevel mortar joint, and to eliminate any obstructions to the mason asare encountered when anchor means are permanently fastened to a cornerbracket;

Patented Sept. 26, 196i The foregoing and other objects and advantagesof the invention will be made more apparent as the specificationproceeds.

The corner guards to which the present invention relate are those thatusually extend up three or four feet on the wall from the bottom thereofso that the usual bumps and abrasions to which the wall is subjectedwill be taken by the corner guard.

Reference now is particularly directed to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a corner of a wall and with part of, a cornerguard thereon being broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and.illustrating a corner guard of the invention but with a plaster finishbeing shown on the wall;

FIG. 3- is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2and showing further details of the improved corner guard of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section, like FIG. 2, of a modified type ofcorner guard of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

When referring to corresponding parts shown in the drawings and referredto in the specification, corresponding numerals are used to facilitatecomparison therebetween.

Generally speaking, the invention relates to a corner guard adapted tobe engaged with a building wall at the corner thereof by means of aplurality of anchor means secured to vertically spaced portions of thewall. These anchor means comprise an anchor bar having front and backedges and ends and with the ends extending inwardly of the metal bartowards the front end thereof to form a trapezoidal shape anchor bar andwith each anchor bar having vertically extending wings thereon. adjacentthe ends thereof, anchor means secured to the anchor bars and extendingin a horizontal plane axially inwardly of a corner from the anchor bars,which anchor means are adapted to be positioned between courses in awall as the wall is built to be secured or anchored therein and securethe anchor bars in vertically spaced portions of the wall but protrudingtherefrom in vertical alignment, and a metal guard of generally V-shapein horizontal section engaged with the anchor bars by means of edgeflanges on the corner guard shaped complementary to the protrudingportions of the anchor bars to tightly secure the metal guard to theanchor bars with the longitudinal axis of the corner guard beingvertically directed.

With reference to the details of the structures shown in theaccompanying drawings, a corner guard 1 is shown in association with awall 2 made from a plurality of horizontal courses of suitable blocks orbricks. This corner guard 1 is normally made from metal, such asstainless steel, and only extends a portion of the height of the wall 2under normal use conditions, being positioned at the bottom several feetof the corner in the wall 2 to protect it against bumps by small carts,wheel trucks, or the like passing along the corridor or other portion ofthe building in which the wall 2 forms a part. This corner guard 1 ispositioned by a plurality of anchor units secured to vertically spacedportions of the wall 2 and protruding therefrom for fixed engagementwith the corner guard 1. Thus, FIG. 2 shows the details of the cornerguard assembly and a T-shaped anchor bar 3 having a rectangular stern 3aand a cross bar of generally trapezoidal shape is shown. This anchor bar3 is made from suitable strap or sheet metal and it has a front edge 4,a back edge 5 and end, or side edges 6 and 7 that extend inwardly of thetrapezoid from the front edge thereof towards the back edge to divergefrom each other and extend the depth of the cross bar in the anchor bar3.

As an important feature of the invention to aid in exactly verticallypositioning the corner guard 1, a pair of vertically extending wingsortabs 8 and 9 are formed integrally with the anchor bar 3 adjacent theendedges 6 and7. thereof. These wings 8 and 9 lie parallelto thelongitudinal axis of the corner guard but are intermediate the front andback edges thereof. The. drawings clearly bring out that one of thesewings 8 extends vertically upwardly from the anchor bar 3 whereas theother wing 9 at the opposite margin of the back edge of the cross barextends downwardly of the assembly. By such a construction, one can tiltthe anchor bar 3 and insert it into the corner guard 1 from the backthereof. The anchor bar 3 and associated means then can be twisted downinto engagement with the flanges on the corner guard.

The anchor bar 3 has an extension thereon which may be an integral, or aseparate member, such as an expanded metal screen 10, secured, as byWelding or other conventional means, to the anchor bar to extendinwardly of the wall therefrom to provide increased surface area in theanchor unit for being bonded intermediate the courses in the wall 2 tothe mortar used for initially securing such wall courses together.

FIG. 2 of the drawings best shows that the corner guard 1 has a pair ofinwardly extending edge flanges 11 that have reversely, or outwardlybent end sections 12 provided thereon; In general, these edge flanges 11extend inwardly of the corner guard so that a wedging or bonding'actioncan be secured between the corner guard 1, at the edge flanges 11thereof, and a coat of finished plaster, indicated at 13, applied to thewall 2. Normally the end sections 12'of the flanges 11 lay flush againstthe brick members used in forming the wall 2. It will be seen that theends 6 and 7 of the anchor bar 3 and the wings 8 and 9 formed thereondefine an edge structure on the anchor bar complementary to the cornerguard 1 at the flanged end section thereof so that positive engagementcan be secured between the anchor bar 3 and the wings, or tabs 8 or 9thereon, and the corner guard. Thus an exact vertical position can, beestablished for the corner guard 1 when engagedwith a plurality of thevertically aligned anchor bar assemblies of the invention as the wingsor tabs 8 and 9 lie flush against the inner surfaces of the flanges 11.

FIG. 2 shows that the wall 2 is made from bricks 14 and 15 having amortar joint 16 therebetween. The space between the inner surface of thecorner guard 1 and the outer edges of the bricks 14 and 15 is filled inby mortar 17 when the. Wall 2 is built to secure the corner guardpermanently in its fixed vertical position. Usually the corner guard 1is placed in engagement withthe wall 2 as soon as the first one or twocourses thereof are laid. The anchor bars 3 are positioned in the wall 2by being embedded in the mortar between vertical courses in the wall.Only the end portions of such anchor'bars will protrude from the wall asit is built. Such anchor bars- 3 are made from sufficient-gage metalsheet as to be sturdy and firmly position the corner guard when engagedtherewith.

When it is desired to use corner guards of the invention with walls thatdo not have a relatively thick finish plaster coat thereon, the cornerguard can be of the design, and be positioned in the manner, shown inFIG. 4. Thus a modified corner guard assembly is indicated by the?numeral Mend it is made from a metal corner guard 21 secured in place byan anchor bar 22. In this instance, the end portions of the anchor bar'22 are both: turned on the anchor bar, which wings usually protrude tothe rear as-well as upwardly from the remainder of the anchor bar 22.Any suitable anchor means, suchas'an expanded screen, can besecured tothe anchor'bar 22 and extend back into the wall therefrom; The anchorbar 22 is of generally trapezoidal shape, and has a front edge, a backedge longer than the front edge, and'side edges; which verticallyupwardly to form end tabs or'wings 23-and 24 v side edges have parallelrear portions and converging front portions connecting to the frontedge. Again, such wings 23 and 24 are adapted to form a surface with theedge portions of the anchor bar 22 for snug engagement with the cornerguard 21 and specifically with doubled back end flanges 26 providedthereon so that the corner guard 21 will be vertically and snuglypositioned by its tight engagement with the wings 23 and 24 andassociated parts of the anchor bar 22.

The anchor means of the invention permit corner guards to be positionedin buildings without any disfiguration or marring of the surface of thecorner guard in any manner. Furthermorqthe corner guards 1 and 21 do nothave any portions or members thereon that permanently protrude inwardlytherefrom to interfere with a workman as he builds the wall 2. Thus ifan attractive stainless steel corner guard is used, for example, thereare no welded spots or other anchor means required to be secured to thiscorner guard and it will have a smooth unmarred finish visible in thefinished building.

The anchor bars 3 and 22 themselves are embedded in mortar joints in awall with ends of the bars protruding from the wall for anchor action.Thus use of means such as the expanded mesh screen 10 or integral anchormeans or sections are provided to improve the securing of the anchorbars to the wall.

The wings or tabs 8 and 9 preferably are of square or rectangular shapeand extend from the anchor bar 3 the same distance as the center stem 3athereof. Hence the anchor bar 3 can be made from a metal strip with aminimum of waste as only the triangular parts of the original stripremoved to form the inwardly slanted ends 6 and 7 are cut from a stripor sheet and discarded.

The tabs or wings 23 and 24 likewise are formed with a small amount ofwaste metal asthey are formed from a metal strip or piece initiallyhaving a longer front edge than rear edge. Folding over the roughlytriangular front end sections of the metal piece on diverging anglesforms the anchor bar 22 with a smaller front edge than a rear edge. Arear edge 23a, for example, of the wing 23 is vertically directed andusually engages snugly with the flange 26.

From the foregoing, it should be seen that these corner guard means ofthe invention can be readily assembled in a building wall as it isconstructed andportions of such anchor members protrude from a wall asit' is built to enga e and position a corner guard. 'The inventionprovides a permanent, attractive corner unit that is resistant todisfiguration, or loosening by ordinary abuse to which the corner guardis subjected, and one that is readily secured to the wall as it isbuilt. Hence, it is believed that the objects of the invention have beenachieved.

While two complete embodiments of the invention have been disclosedherein, it will be appreciated that modification of these particularembodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing fromthe scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: a

1. In combination, a pair of walls each formed from a plurality ofsuperimposed courses of blocks, which Walls are in angular relation toeach other and combine to form a corner; said walls having fiatvertically extending outer surfaces; and a corner guard assemblycomprising a horizontally positioned anchor bar of generally trapezoidalshape and having a front edge, a back edge longer than the front edge,and side edges; the side edges having parallel rear portions andconverging front portions connecting to said front edge, said anchor barhaving integral vertically and laterally extending wings thereonconnected to said side edge front portions and lying parallel to butoutwardly of said vertical wall surfaces, saicl'wings protrudinglaterally beyond parallel rear portions of said side edges, said anchorbar being positioned between courses of blocks in said wall to securesaid anchor bar to and to position said side front edges protruding fromsaid walls at said corner, and a vertically extending guard of generallyV-shape in horizontal section shaped complementary to said wall outersurfaces at said corner, said guard having reversely extending edgeflanges thereon extending inwardly thereof shaped complementary to theinner surfaces of and engaging said wings to secure said guard to saidanchor bar by telescopic engagement of said anchor bar by said guard,the space between said guard and said walls being fillable with mortaror the like, said edge flanges of said guard abutting on said wall outersurfaces.

2. A corner guard assembly for positioning at a corner formed by a pairof walls each made from a plurality of superimposed courses of blocksand where the walls are in angular relation to each other and have flatvertically extending outer surfaces; the corner guard assemblycomprising an anchor bar of generally trapezoidal shape and having afront edge, a back edge longer than the front edge, and side edges; theside edges having parallel rear portions and converging front portionsconnecting to said front edge, said anchor bar having integralvertically and laterally extending wings thereon extending from saidside edge front portions and adapted for positioning parallel to butoutwardly of the vertical wall surfaces in which the anchor bar isassembled, said wings protruding laterally beyond parallel portions ofsaid side edges, said anchor bar being adapted to be horizontallypositioned between difierent vertical courses of blocks in thewalls tosecure said anchor bar to but to protrude from vertically spacedportions of the walls at a corner in spaced vertical alignment when aplurality of said anchor bars are used between difierent verticalcourses of the wall blocks, and a vertically extending guard ofgenerally V-shape in horizontal section adapted to conform to the Wallouter surfaces with which the guard is to be assembled, said guardhaving reversely extending edge flanges thereon extending inwardlythereof shaped complementary to the inner surfaces of and engaging saidwings to secure said guard to a positioned said anchor bar by telescopicengagement of said anchor bar by said guard, said edge flanges of saidguard being adapted to abut on wall outer surfaces at a corner formedthereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,266,546 Baxter May 21, 1918 1,361,586 Johnson Dec. 7, 1920 1,674,418Thomas June 19, 1928 1,688,134 Braunstein Oct. 16, 1928 1,825,914 MidcapOct. 6, 1931 2,846,868 Wedberg Aug. 12, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 149,791Austria May 25, 1937

